Raising a wife? The mistress of the Hou family divorced and remarried her younger uncle

Chapter 175 Snowstorm
As the night deepened, the biting cold wind brought heavy snow and swept across the earth wantonly.

It wasn't that cold in the carriage, and Lu Jing hadn't thought of hiding it from Su Qingwan. "At that time, I hadn't yet joined the Jinyiwei. My master Liu Jiang, as the commander, took advantage of the situation and pointed the finger at Huainan. Later, the emperor became suspicious and reopened the investigation. Now there are some clues. That year, I went to the southwest and met you when I was seriously injured. In fact, it was to investigate this case. The southwest tried its best to conceal it, but after all, paper can't cover up the truth."

Su Qingwan suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. It seems that the emperor's hatred for the southwest has been manifested for a long time, but my father and I realized it only later. Especially my father, he always thought that what he did back then was perfect. Now that the poison of the royal family has been cured, I thought no one would be suspicious, but I didn't expect that it would still be hidden forever."

"If you don't want others to know, then don't do it yourself." Lu Jing said lightly, looking back at Su Qingwan gently. Thousands of words were contained in their eyes when they met.

When the two returned to the courtyard, it was already past midnight. Qingyun had been waiting for a long time. When he saw them coming back, he immediately ordered someone to boil water. Su Qingwan soaked herself in the hot water tiredly, and her cold hands and feet gradually warmed up.

Qingyun walked to Su Qingwan's side and said in a low voice: "Miss, I have contacted all the spies, including Chenfeng. If we want to rescue the prince, I'm afraid we have to lurk in the palace."

Su Qingwan fell into deep thought after hearing this. After a moment, she slowly said, "It's impossible to save him. If you act rashly, you will just be like a moth flying into a flame, and you will die."

Qingyun was slightly startled, her eyes full of hatred, hating the palace for ruthlessly burying her sisters. But even with the overwhelming hatred in her heart, she still kept her rationality.

Su Qingwan comforted her softly: "I'll find a way."

Now she has decided to go all out.

Qingyun looked at the determination in Su Qingwan's eyes, and felt a little uneasy. He asked, "Girl, what do you want to do?"

Su Qingwan just remained silent.

"No matter what the girl wants to do, Qingyun will do it to the death."

Su Qingwan suddenly asked: "Qingyun, have you sisters ever regretted following me?"

Qingyun quickly shook her head: "I have never regretted it. The girl gave us a new life and took us to travel all over the country over the years. The lives of us sisters in the past ten years have been more wonderful than many women's entire lives. I have no regrets. Although my sister has passed away, I think she will not regret it either."

Su Qingwan was filled with emotion after hearing this. She had gone through countless hardships and obstacles along the way, but she had never regretted it. Now she was destined to go all the way to the end.

After Su Qingwan finished washing up, Lu Jing came.

Lu Jing was always a man of self-discipline and respect for etiquette. It was not his usual style to visit her boudoir at midnight. Su Qingwan led him to sit down next to the warm couch, and Qingyun served him hot tea at the right time.

Lu Jing handed over a box of calming incense, his voice as gentle as a spring breeze, "My princess has trouble sleeping at night, so I found this incense. Lighting it may help you sleep."

"Poisonous?" Su Qingwan raised her eyebrows slightly. The drowsy feeling on New Year's Eve made her suspicious, but she could not find any trace.

"It's only for calming the nerves, it's non-toxic." Lu Jing looked calm, "You are already under my surveillance. There are Jinyiwei everywhere inside and outside the villa, and there are many of the emperor's eyes and ears among them. Since the emperor has granted you to me in marriage, he naturally hopes that I can control you and force southwest to embark on the path of rebellion. From now on, I'm afraid that the princess will have to live in the same room with me." "Although you and I are engaged, it may not be polite for us to live in the same room." Su Qingwan said coldly.

"Etiquette is a dead thing, but people are alive." Lu Jing didn't care.

"Whatever you say!" Su Qingwan was too lazy to argue with him. She had just finished washing up, and although the charcoal fire in the house was burning, there was still a hint of chill. She wrapped herself tightly in a thick cloak and curled herself up into a ball, her expression full of boredom and irritability.

Lu Jing stared at her pale face, and a feeling of pity welled up in his heart. He approached Su Qingwan, gently pulled her cloak over him, and held her in his arms. Su Qingwan frowned slightly, and although she was not used to such intimacy, she did not resist.

Her hands and feet were freezing cold, and he held her hand tightly, wishing he could pass all his warmth to her. Su Qingwan had always been puzzled: Why did Lu Jing fall in love with her?

She knew that she was a boring person. Apart from making money, she had no tenderness of a woman, and was not a considerate person. "Lu Jing, why do you like me?" She finally couldn't help asking.

"It's hard to describe." Lu Jing sighed, "Maybe it's fate."

"That's also a bad fate." Su Qingwan smiled bitterly.

His hands were clasped with hers. Su Qingwan's hands were not soft. There was only a thin layer of flesh covering the bones, and her palms were covered with calluses. These were not the hands of a lady from a noble family, but more like the hands of a female general.

However, such close entanglement made the wind and snow seem less cold.

"Whether it's a bad fate or a good fate, it's all fate." Lu Jing said slowly, "The days we spent together in the southwest were a rare leisure time for me. Carving flowers, basking in the sun, and smelling the fragrance of flowers, those were the few happy times in my life. Xiaowu, I have never mentioned anything about my family to you, would you like to listen?"

Su Qingwan was already familiar with the Lu family's affairs. She had already investigated everything and even put it in writing on her desk. However, she seemed to have never heard Lu Jing tell it himself.

Lu Jing's voice was low and slow, as if he was recalling a long-forgotten past. His father was a cautious man who studied hard for many years and finally passed the imperial examination and was sent to serve as an official. He worked diligently all his life and pleaded for the people, and was known as a good official by the people. Lu Jing was influenced by his father since he was a child, and gradually developed a desire to become an honest official who worked for the people like his father.

Su Qingwan listened quietly, but thought to herself: If your father knew about this in the afterlife, he would probably be extremely disappointed to see that you have now become the deputy commander of the Jinyiwei with blood on your hands.

"My father didn't die in the flood." Lu Jing's voice suddenly became colder, and a trace of pain flashed in his eyes, "He was killed by someone."

He slowly told the story of an old time. Back then, when the Lu family was in office, local powerful officials coveted the good farmland and tried to force his father to join the corrupt. However, his father was upright and refused to obey. In the end, he was killed in a flood, but it was declared to be an accidental death.

"From then on, I gave up literature and followed the military." Lu Jing's tone was full of determination. "I wanted to join the army, earn military merits on the battlefield, and bring honor to my family." He paused, his eyes became deep, "I knew the importance of power since I was a child. When I was born, the Lu family was not yet prominent, and our family background was humble. Even our relatives were unwilling to recognize us. I witnessed with my own eyes how my aunt groveled to please those powerful ladies and was ordered around like a dog. The most unforgettable thing that Lu Feng and I learned from our elders is the importance of power."

After Su Qingwan heard this, she felt a complex emotion. She looked at Lu Jing, whose usually stern face now showed a hint of fragility. She suddenly understood why he took this path - not for power itself, but to stop being trampled on and to control his own destiny.

"Power..." Su Qingwan murmured softly, as if chewing on the weight of this word. She raised her head and met Lu Jing's eyes, as if at this moment, their hearts were closer.